Managing harvest well can result in better quality and higher quantity of forage. Joe Lawrence, dairy forage systems specialist at Cornell University PRO-DAIRY, presented “Improving Harvest Management” as part of the 2021 Western New York Virtual Forage Congress. “Harvest quality and silo management...

Feed center operations represent a costly part of a farm’s budget that could be reduced if managed better. Jason Karszes, senior Extension associate, Animal Science PRO-DAIRY, Cornell University, presented “Feed Center Operating Costs: Loading, Mixing & Delivering Feed” as a recent webinar. “When yo...

Dan Turner will be the first to admit he didn’t always lamb right. In fact, he knew close to nothing about raising sheep when he purchased his first animals. Although Dan started with a ragtag group of sheep (by way of a Border Collie), he quickly became one of the nation’s premier breeders of Katah...

Never before have dairy managers faced such diverse challenges as they face today. Richard Stup, Ph.D., with Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development, recently hosted a dairy call-in conversation to discuss the importance of employee handbooks to better manage those challenges. “A lot of farmers i...

“You need not think of interviews as a debate,” Johnna Miller said at the outset of this topic presented by the American Dairy Association, “nor to butt heads with a reporter. That is not what interviews are about.” In other words, you are there to tell your story. This is particularly important if ...

Want a greater winter wheat yield? Dennis Pennington, wheat systems specialist with Michigan State Extension, offered numerous tips during his presentation “Precision Planting in Winter Wheat” at the recent Soybean and Small Grains Congress. Pennington said he’s heard wheat growers who need to updat...

“A younger herd is less efficient than a mature cow herd,” Corwin Holtz, of Holtz Nelson Dairy Consultants, said during the virtual 2021 Central New York Dairy Days. “Are you actively managing the age of your herd?” In a static herd, both the heifer inventory and the cull rate influence the average ...

Bovine coccidiosis is common in dairy cattle, especially in weaned calves. Characterized by diarrhea, the parasitic disease exists on every dairy farm to some extent. How quickly it’s identified and how it’s managed are key to controlling its spread and potential mortality rates. “There are about 13...

COOL SPRINGS, NC – Amanda and Matt Bowman met in the summer of 2002 when Matt came to haul manure from Amanda’s parents’ dairy, Dusty Road Jersey Farm, in Iredell County. Amanda and her sister Nina were doing the milking for their parents, Ray and Linda Elmore. Amanda was taking a break because she ...